A Game Of Hearts
by Kayk12
Summary: Castle finds out the reason why Beckett becomes moody around Valentine's Day and he vows to do everything in his power to change that.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: This is my first Castle fic so I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!!**

Tomorrow would be the first day of the one and only month she had come to dread. February. Ok, so if she were to be honest with herself it wasn't so much the month but the one specific day stuck right in the middle of the month. Valentine's Day of course. Sure, it was a holiday that was supposed to be filled with love and affection and all that nice stuff but to her it was just a reminder of the past and also a reminder that she had no one special to spend that day with.

She still couldn't believe that Will had the courage to tell her the day before Valentine's Day that he would be leaving New York the next day. Leaving on Valentine's Day, of all the days out of the entire year, it just had to be that day. It was just her luck. And now, two years later, she still hadn't found someone special to spend the day with. Her thoughts drifted to Rick Castle, wondering what he would be doing. She shook her head, as if to clear thoughts, because she wasn't sure she even wanted to know what Castle would be doing. Something told her that one way or another she would be finding out anyway.

**February 13****th**

"Good morning, Beckett," Castle said as he strode in at his normal time.

"Morning," she said without looking up at him.

"What's with her this morning?" Castle asked Ryan and Esposito as he walked with them to the break room to grab a cup of coffee.

"It's almost Valentine's Day, man," responded Esposito shortly as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Don't most girls get grouchy if they don't have anyone to buy them fluffy teddy bears or flowers or chocolates?"

"Yeah, I suppose most girls would," Castle said thoughtfully. "But Beckett isn't 'most girls'. Why would something like Valentine's Day bug her? "

"Maybe it still has something to do with when Will broke up with her that time," Ryan pointed out.

"What?" Castle immediately gave Ryan his full attention.

"You didn't hear it from us," Esposito said as he glared at Ryan for spilling the beans. "But, Ryan could be right. Sorensen, you remember him, Mr. I'm-all-that F.B.I, told Beckett the day before Valentine's Day that he would be leaving New York on Valentine's Day to go work at some other F.B.I office in some other city."

"Ouch," replied Castle as he glanced over at Beckett who was clearly trying to bury herself in her work as usual. He remembered Will Sorenson alright, he had hated that guys guts and now, if possible, he hated them even more.

Castle knew, well he knew now, that Beckett was a woman you never let go of if you ever caught her. She was more incredible then any woman he had ever dated, although that didn't say much because most of the woman he dated weren't anything special, excluding Kyra of course. He wanted, more than anything at that moment, to be able to fix her thoughts about Valentine's Day and make it special for her. But he knew that she would never let him do that. However, he had to try.

"Hey, Beckett!" he said walking over to her desk with a wide grin.

"What do you want, Castle?" She hadn't intended to snap at him.

"Did you want to grab a bite to eat tomorrow evening? I thought maybe I could run some of my ideas for the new Nikki Heat book by you?" he said hopefully.

This caught her attention although her face remained emotionless. Did he not realize what day it was tomorrow?

She sighed and looked up at him. "Do you not know what day it is tomorrow, Castle?"

"Uh, Thursday?" he asked, praying she would just fall for it, although he knew she wouldn't.

"Yes, and Valentine's Day," she said quietly, looking away from him again.

"Oh," he said, trying a different tact. "If you have plans, we could do it another night if you like?"

"No, I don't have plans." Mentally kicking herself for admitting that to him she decided to try and steer the conversation towards his favourite topic, himself. "Don't you have plans with one of your model girlfriends?"

"First of all, I don't have a girlfriend," he replied, sitting down in his normal spot and grabbing the file out of her hands so he could look her in the eye. "And secondly, I'd rather go out with you."

She tried really hard not to look at him when he said that but she couldn't resist. Damn it, why did he have to look so sincere? Why did a part of her want to believe him and just let him take her out? The voice inside her head was screaming, _maybe because you like him!_

"Maybe another time, Castle," she finally replied, ignoring the voice screaming inside her head telling her to go have some fun for once.

"But, you just said you didn't have any plans," he pressed on. He wouldn't give up that easily.

"I have to work, Castle, now could you just please for once leave me alone so I can finish this paperwork in reasonable time without you hovering over my shoulder!"

She knew she had been harsh. She could see it in the way he just looked at her.

"Ok, Kate, if that's what you want." He got up and walked away slowly. She had hurt him but he still wasn't going to give up.

Kate sat there shocked as she watched him walk away. Never once had he ever listened to her before so why now? And he never called her Kate. She wanted to call after him and tell him that he could stay but by the time she found her voice it was too late, he was already gone. Great, she thought to herself, just push everyone who seems to care for you away.

Castle knew that she would be working late that night. She worked late most nights and sometimes he questioned whether she ever went home at all so he wasn't surprised to see her sitting at her desk reading over yet another case file. He knew this could very possibly be his last shot. He watched from a corner of the precinct, out of her line of sight until she needed another cup of coffee. He knew she would need a refill eventually, she lived off of the stuff, and he was willing to wait for however long that took. To his surprise, it was no more than 20 minutes later when she slowly got up from her desk, stretched, and grabbed her empty mug as she walked towards the break room. He waited until she was out of sight, then quickly walked up to her desk and positioned his invitation neatly on top of the case file. Without a backward glance, he walked swiftly away from her desk and out the door of the precinct.

Kate loved the smell of brewing coffee. Almost more then she loved drinking the liquid caffeine. She took her time making herself a new cup. She secretly loved the coffee machine Castle had bought for the precinct; she would deny it if anyone asked though. She took a few minutes to relax, debating with herself whether she should just go home. She finally settled on reading the file one more time and then calling it a night. She slowly walked back to her desk with her fresh cup of coffee, glancing around the precinct, her eyes finally landing on her own desk. That's when she saw it. There, on top of her desk, sat a small plush teddy bear with a childish looking Valentine's Day card like the ones kids handed out at school. She looked around the precinct again but there was no one in sight. She flipped the card over and even before she read what it said she knew who it would be from.

_Kate,_

_ Will you please be my Valentine?_

_ Rick_


	2. Chapter 2

_Kate,_

_Will you please be my Valentine?_

_Rick_

She didn't know how long she stared at the card. Her heart was racing, and millions of thoughts were swirling through her mind. _Does he really care? Or does he just feel bad because I told him I didn't have plans? Should I go? Oh god... what should I do?_

"Lanie!" she said frantically when she heard her best friend answer the phone. "I have a problem, a big problem!"

"Spill it," she heard Lanie say, the worry evident in her voice.

"Castle asked me to be his Valentine!"

"Girl, what is wrong with you?! You scared me! And I'm not quite seeing what the problem is?"

"Lanie! This is Castle were talking about! He asked me to be his Valentine!" Kate replied as if that were enough explanation in itself.

"Uh huh, and...?"

"Hello! Aren't you listening!? This is Castle we're talking about!"

"I'm listening alright but maybe you should start listening to yourself, Katie. You're starting to sound like a crazy person!" She heard Kate groan. "Anyway," she continued. "I don't see what your big problem is. Despite how annoying Castle is, he is a good guy. You know that, Kate, I know you do."

"Yeah, but..."

"No buts, Kate!" Lanie said, cutting her off. "Go out, have fun, that's all there is to it!"

"Fine," Kate muttered, sounding defeated.

"So what are you waiting for? Go get him, Girl! And I want to be the first one to know all the dirty details about your date with writer-boy! Have a good time! Bye now!"

"Lanie!" Kate exclaimed but all she heard was a dial tone.

The last time Kate had felt something for a man she had gotten hurt. She had, at one point, believed that Will would be the one. They had talked about it and she had gotten used to the idea. It was only a short time after that that she felt as if her world had started spiralling downward. Will told her that he would be moving but that she could come with him if she wanted. There was no way she was leaving New York and both of them had known that. And just like that, without a backward glance, he had walked out of her life. She hadn't even received a phone call from him after that day.

And now this? How had Rick Castle, of all people, weaseled his way into her heart? She would sure like to know.

It took Kate less than a minute to figure out what she had to do. She bolted out of her chair so fast that it went crashing into the desk behind her. She didn't care, however, as she was already halfway to the elevator. She pushed the down button, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for the elevator to reach her floor. Taking too long for her liking, she dashed towards the stairs, racing down them to the ground floor. She was out the front of the precinct in record time and was running towards her car when she heard someone call out to her.

Rick had been sitting on the steps outside the precinct waiting for Kate's call. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before she called. So he was incredibly surprised when he saw her breeze by him as she ran down the precinct steps with a look of determination on her face.

"KB?"

She spun around so fast, almost losing her balance in the process.

"Rick?"

She saw the corners of his lips turn up at the sound of his first name. "Did something happen? Has there been a murder?"

"Uh... no, not exactly."

"Well, then where were you going in such a hurry? Are you that eager to get home?" he teased lightly.

"I was actually going to look for you," she said softly, not daring to look at him. "I got your card."

A soft "oh" escaped from his mouth.

"I just have a question. Why did you ask _me _to be your valentine?"

"Why not?"

"Well I don't know, Castle, I'm sure there are a million fan girls out there who would just love to be your valentine," she said dryly. "So why me?"

"Well, to be honest, Ryan and Esposito told me what happened."

He saw a look of confusion cross her face so he continued.

"With Sorenson."

The realization suddenly dawned on her and Castle saw anger flash in her eyes. "I knew—"

"That's not why I did it," he explained, quickly cutting her off and taking a step closer to her. The look on her face told him that she wasn't buying a word he was saying and he knew he only had one chance to make her believe him.

"I did it because I would rather spend the evening with you then with anyone else, Kate."

She glanced at him quickly, knowing that she could read him like a book. What she saw wasn't anything like what she had expected. She saw warmth in his eyes and something else that she couldn't place. She felt a tug in her heart and she knew that she was slowly giving in whether she liked it or not.

"To put it simply," he continued, taking her silence as a sign that she wasn't totally convinced. "You are extraordinary."

She felt her breath quicken at his admission and had to look away from his intense gaze.

"So," he whispered. "Will you please go out with me tomorrow evening?"

Kate closed her eyes in an effort to keep her breathing under control.

"Okay," she whispered before she let herself think too much, wanting for once in her life to just feel. "Okay."

"Okay," he whispered back smiling at her. It was a genuine smile, one that she had seen thrown her way occasionally but was normally reserved for Alexis. "I'll pick you up around six."

She smiled back at him and nodded slightly, not trusting her voice anymore.

"Until tomorrow then, KB," he said with a wave as he made his way towards his car.

"Goodnight, Castle. Oh and hey, Rick?" she called after him. She waited for him to turn back and look at her. "Thank you."

He smiled at her again. "Anytime."

Castle woke up earlier than usual the next morning so he could arrange everything for his evening out with Kate. He wanted everything to be perfect for her. He called his favourite florist and ordered a dozen red roses. He smiled to himself as he hung up the phone, not remembering the last time he was this excited to go on a date.

"Morning, Dad,"

"Morning, Pumpkin," he said turning to Alexis, the goofy smile still on his face. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Happy Valentine's Day! Wait, why are you up so early this morning?" she asked as she eyed him suspiciously.

"I had some arrangements to make for tonight. I asked Kate to go out with me."

"And she actually said yes?"

Castle smiled again. "She sure did!"

Alexis squealed and ran to hug her dad. She pulled back slightly so that she could look him in the eye. "You just better not screw this up because I happen to like Beckett."

"I have no intention of doing that, Pumpkin, so you don't have to worry."

"Where are you taking her?"

"I was thinking of taking her to Falai. What do you think?"

"I think it's perfect. Not too fancy, but great food! I think she'll enjoy it."

"I hope so. By the way, where's Owen taking you tonight?"

Alexis rolled her eyes, a trait she'd inherited from Beckett. "He says it's a surprise."

"And what's wrong with that?"

"I don't like surprises!"

"You and Kate have more in common than I thought," he said as he smiled at her. "Oh, I almost forgot! There's something for you sitting on my desk."

He watched as Alexis ran off to investigate, waiting for her to return. He didn't have to wait long. She came running back into the kitchen with the basket full of goodies in her hands.

"Thank you so much, Dad," she gushed. "This is awesome!"

He watched with a content smile as she pulled the bubble bath out of the basket and smelled it.

"Mmm, my favourite!" she said as she rushed around the counter to give her Dad another hug. "Don't forget to make reservations for tonight! I have to finish my homework before my date with Owen so I'll be in my room if you need something!"

Castle watched his daughter run up the stairs to her room. She was his world and he always wondered how he had been so lucky to have a daughter like her. It meant a lot to him that she approved of Kate, more than she would ever know.

With a small smile he picked up the phone once again and called Falai to make reservations, praying that Kate was going to enjoy tonight as much as Alexis believed.

When Kate arrived at work the next morning she immediately immersed herself in the mounds of paperwork on her desk and to her surprise the day flew by quicker then she had expected. She rushed out right when her shift ended leaving a very surprised Esposito and Ryan staring after her, they couldn't remember the last time they had seen her leave on time.

She had received a text from Castle as she was walking in the door to her apartment.

_Dress casual and bring some extra warm clothes along!_

She wasn't too keen on surprises but Castle had insisted that everything be kept a secret, she knew he wanted tonight to be absolutely perfect for her.

She showered quickly and applied more makeup then she normally wore to work. Deep down she wanted to look her best for Castle as much as she didn't want to admit it to herself. She walked over to her closet and picked out her favourite pair of form fitting jeans and nice red sweater to go with them. She pulled out her brand new black tweed coat that she would take along as he had suggested.

She glanced at the clock when she was completely ready and she felt her stomach flutter when she realized she had only fifteen minutes until his arrival. She paced her apartment feeling like a teenager going on her very first date.

When she heard him knock on her door, her heart started to race. She forced herself to walk calmly to the door and pulled it open slowly. She was met by a bouquet of red roses and a smiling Castle.

"Hey," he said, his smile widening as she smiled shyly back at him. "You look amazing tonight!"

_Thank you all for the kind reviews! For those of you who asked, there will be a few more chapters to come although I haven't quite decided how many yet. I look forward to reading your reviews for this chapter! :-)_


	3. Chapter 3

The words echoed in her mind. _"You look amazing tonight."_ She was brought back to reality when she heard Castle clear his throat nervously. He looked handsome as usual, wearing dark jeans and deep red button down shirt.

"These are for you," he said handing her the flowers.

"Thank you," she said quietly as she brought them to her nose to smell. He watched as she closed her eyes slightly when she inhaled the scent of the flowers and was captivated by her beauty. She had never been this relaxed around him and he was glad that she was allowing herself to open up to him.

"Come on in for a second while I put these in some water."

He stepped quickly into her apartment and shut the door firmly behind him. He watched as she walked into the kitchen in search of a vase and took the opportunity to look around. Her apartment was large compared to many New York apartments. The walls were all painted in warm earthy tones and the space was decorated with furniture that was the perfect compliment. There were many framed photos throughout her apartment. There were pictures of her and Lanie, pictures of her, Esposito and Ryan and finally pictures of her childhood. One in particular caught Castle's eye. It was a picture of a young Kate, probably no older then thirteen or fourteen, smiling widely for the camera with her parents by her side. She looked young, innocent and free. Her eyes were shining, no hint of the shadow that now frequently crossed them and she looked happier then Castle had ever seen her. He would do anything to see her face glow like that again.

Castle jumped when he heard her voice right behind him. "That picture was taken on our annual vacation to Mexico. I was only thirteen. My parents would always take me to swim with the dolphins whenever we went. It was the most incredible experience I've ever had."

Castle listened in awe, unable to look away from her.

"We had so many great times on those vacations. My mom was the adventurous type so we were always going hiking, kayaking, fishing or scuba diving. My dad is a history buff so my mom always made sure we went to places like the Mayan Ruins, and did my dad ever love it. Kate laughed softly. "He would take millions of pictures, all of which seemed to be of the same thing, but my mom never complained. He was happy if she was happy and vice versa. I haven't been back to Mexico since my mom's murder, not that I wouldn't like to go back again one day, but I will never forget those memories of us as a family."

Castle smiled softly when her gaze met his. "Thank you for sharing that with me, you're mom seemed like she was a pretty remarkable woman."

Kate's smile widened. "That she most definitely was." Kate stared at Castle for a minute, lost in her thoughts. As much as she secretly loved Castle's playful side, it was refreshing to see his serious side come through as well. She had surprised herself when she had begun to tell Castle a bit about her past but she quickly realized that she wanted him to know; she wanted him to get to know her for her not just her as a hard-ass detective. She had a soft side that she rarely shared with anyone but for once she was just allowing herself to feel, to let go, and deep down she knew that she would not regret it.

She shook herself out of her thoughts and turned to look at him. It was no surprise that he had been watching her. "Are you ready to go?"

"I am if you are," he replied offering her his arm.

She hooked her arm through his and lightly pulled him towards the front door. He stopped to grab the warm black tweed coat that she had laid out as she pulled open the door. She quickly locked the door behind them, hooking her arm through his again as they made their way down the stairs. He had managed to find a parking spot relatively close to her apartment so they were at his car in no time. Being a true gentleman, he opened Kate's door for her and helped her in. She had never been in his Porsche before and took the opportunity to glance around. His car was absolutely spotless. There was no garbage on the floor, no dust on the dash and the car smelled as if it were brand new.

"Do you ever drive this thing?" she asked as he climbed into the car and pulled into the New York City traffic.

"This thing!?" he exclaimed turning to look at her so fast he looked like he gave himself whiplash. "This is a beautifully engineered German automobile. Not a thing!"

Beckett rolled her eyes. "Uh huh, anyway, do you ever drive it?"

"Of course! Why do you ask?"

"It's just so... shiny."

Castle chuckled. "Shiny? I may act like a twelve year old, my dear detective, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to take care of my toys. What were you expecting?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure what I was expecting. Maybe food wrappers and garbage all over the place or something," she teased. "And Castle, tonight it's Kate. Not Detective, not Beckett, just Kate."

"Ok, just Kate," he glanced over at Kate who glared back at him. "Kidding! But then you're not allowed to call me Castle either."

"Fine, _Rick_. So are you going to tell me where you're taking me?"

"Nope. I hope you like Italian though. Wait, you do like Italian food right?"

Kate laughed. "Yes, Rick, I like Italian. Relax, okay? I don't think I've ever seen you this nervous. Have you never been out with a woman before?" she teased.

"I've never been out with a woman like you before," he responded quietly.

"What's that supposed to mean, Rick?" Kate asked, immediately becoming defensive. "I'm sorry I'm not one of your bimbo model girlfriends!"

"What, no, that's not what I meant! You're smart, beautiful, sophisticated and that's why you are nothing compared to those other girls I've dated. I just don't want to screw this up. I didn't have to worry about that with those girls because I never had to see them again. You, well you, I want to see again and I want be able to look back on this evening knowing that you enjoyed it."

Kate sat staring at him in stunned silence. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She didn't know what to say. So she just settled for squeezing his hand and smiling at him, hoping that he could see how much what he said meant to her. He smiled back at her, and then turned his attention back to driving.

Within minutes they were pulling into a parking spot outside what looked like a very small restaurant with a very long line.

Kate glanced over at Castle who didn't seem at all concerned about the line. He quickly got out of the car and walked around it to open Kate's door and help her out. His arm slipped comfortably around her waist as he led her to the front doors of the restaurant. She could feel the looks that they were getting as they walked through the front doors of the restaurant.

"Ricky!"

"Andre, how are you? I'd like you to meet Kate."

"She's even more beautiful than you said, Rick," Andre said as he held out his hand for Kate to shake. "Welcome to Falai!"

Rick gave Kate a sideways glance and he could see that she was blushing slightly.

"Well, I won't keep you two any longer. If you would just follow me, your table is right this way," Andre said as he gestured into the restaurant.

"This restaurant is beautiful," Kate whispered to Rick as they were led to their table.

As they reached their table Rick pulled out Kate's chair for her before sitting down himself. Rick waited until the waitress had given them their menus and taken their drink orders before he spoke.

"So, do you like the place?" he asked.

"It's perfect, Rick, really it is. Not too fancy, but not too casual and I bet the food is really good. These smaller restaurants always have the best food!"

"I can assure you the food is excellent, I've personally tested it," he teased. "That and this happens to be one of Alexis' favourite restaurants."

"Well, if Alexis says it's good, then I'm sure it's good! What is she up to tonight anyway?"

"She has a date with Owen. From what I gather he wouldn't tell her where they were going, something she wasn't too happy about I might add."

Kate could see the twinkle in his eye, knowing that she had felt the same way.

"Well, I'm sure that whatever Owen has planned, Alexis is going to have a great time!"

"Just not too great of a time," Rick added.

Kate laughed. She knew that Alexis was the most important person in Castle's world and that he would do absolutely anything for her. She loved watching the two of them when they were together. Alexis always came off as more of the parent but Castle definitely had his moments.

"You know that Alexis has a good head on her shoulders, Rick, she wouldn't do anything that she wasn't ready for. Where she got such a good head is definitely the question though," she teased.

"Sometimes I wonder too."

From there their conversation flowed easily. They talked about anything and everything. Rick entertaining Kate with stories of some of his most obsessed fans and Kate, in turn, telling stories about some of the strangest cases she had seen cross her desk. Kate was having a great time and she could tell that Rick was enjoying himself too. The chemistry she had with him was just so natural and felt so right that she knew she couldn't ignore it anymore.

They finished their dinner and Kate waited as Rick paid, leaving a generous tip.

"So I was thinking," he began as they stepped outside into the cool night air. "How about we go for a carriage ride in Central Park?"

"That sounds perfect!" Kate said slipping her hand into his, surprising him by her bold move.

With a wide smile he led them to his car and quickly grabbed their heavier coats out of the back seat.

"I thought we'd walk, it's not that far and it's not cold out at all."

"Sounds good to me," Kate said a smile equally as wide on her face.

Hand in hand they walked towards Central Park stopping occasionally to admire store fronts and window displays along the way. As they were reaching the entrance to the park Castle's cell phone rang. They both recognized it as Alexis's ring tone.

He smiled apologetically at Kate. "Sorry, but I got to take this one."

"Absolutely," she said patting his arm reassuringly.

"Hey, pumpkin!" he said as he answered the phone.

"Dad!" she said frantically.

"Alexis, what's wrong?"

_Thank you all again for your kind reviews! I hope you like this chapter! And, as always, I look forward to your reviews again!_


	4. Chapter 4

Kate was staring at Castle with a questioning look on her face, equally worried as he was. She had become quite close with the girl over the past year and had become somewhat protective of her just like Castle was.

"It's Owen," Alexis said quietly into the phone and Castle could tell that she was crying. "He... he just kept talking about this other girl over dinner and then she showed up at the same restaurant we were at... and he invited her to join us! He invited her to join as on Valentine's Day, Dad! And then he completely ignored me! So I just got up and left... I don't even think he noticed!"

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry."

Kate was standing close to Castle with her ear up to the phone. She looked at him her mouth wide open in shock, completely understanding Alexis' pain.

Castle heard Alexis sniffling. "Where are you now, pumpkin?"

"I'm at home. Oh my god, I'm so sorry, you're out with Beckett and I'm totally interrupting, I'll just talk to you when you get home."

Kate shook her head at Castle and pointed to the phone. Castle nodded his head to show he understood what she meant.

"No, no sweetie. We're coming home."

"No, Dad, really, I'm fine. I know how important this date with Beckett is to you."

Castle glanced at Kate who had raised her eyebrows at him but he could see the playful look in her eyes. He smiled slightly at her, silently thanking Alexis for saying that. Kate tugged on his arm just then, gesturing for him to hand her the phone.

"Hey, Alexis," she said once he had complied. "I heard what happened and I'm so sorry, honey. Now I don't want to hear any arguments, we're coming home and we're going to have a good time, you hear?"

"Hey, Detective Beckett, I'm so sorry to interrupt your evening out. Really, don't cut your night short because of me."

"Hey, listen to me, sweetie. We're coming home whether you like it or not and I know how much it sucks for a boy to ruin your Valentine's Day, trust me I know better than you might think. And don't you worry about your dad and me, we'll have plenty more opportunities to go out, but we had a great time as it is. Now, I want you to go get into something comfy, pick a movie and we'll stop on the way home to pick up some snacks. Oh, and its Kate, Alexis. You can call me Kate."

"Ok, Kate. And thanks. Wait, did you say that you and dad would have plenty more opportunities to go out? He must've done something right then for once."

Kate laughed. "Yes, your dad definitely did something right." She saw Castle's eyes widened and she winked at him.

Kate was glad to hear Alexis giggle. "I don't think I want to know."

"Nothing like that! Ok, we're on our way! Choose a good movie!"

"I will, see you soon! And, Kate, thank you so much. I guess I really didn't want to be alone tonight."

"I understand completely, Alexis. See you soon!"

Castle just stared at Kate as she handed him back his phone.

"What, Rick?" she asked, amused.

"I don't know where to start. You are an absolutely amazing woman, Kate Beckett, and you have made me a very happy man. First in being so understanding with my daughter and second because I think I heard you say that we'll have plenty of opportunities to go out again."

She stepped closer to Castle. "Like I told Alexis, I understand what it's like to have your Valentine's Day ruined by a guy. She needs to have some fun tonight and she definitely deserves it. As for you and me, I did have a good time tonight, Rick, and I hope you'd like to do it again sometime."

She ended the last part with a shy smile. She shrieked when Castle stepped forward, scooping her up into his arms and started spinning her around and around. Her shriek turned into a fit of laughter as she clung to him, enjoying their closeness.

He slowly put her down, keeping her close to him. He looked into her eyes and smiled when he saw a bright sparkle reflected in them. He heard her sharp intake of breath as he leaned down closer to her leaving enough distance between them to give her the choice to pull away. He saw her smile up at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck closing the distance between them.

Their lips met hesitantly at first, both of them just enjoying the moment. Rick felt Kate's hands slide into his hair and he pulled her closer to him, his hands lightly trailing down her back to come to rest on her hips. Kate felt as if her body was on fire. She didn't think she would ever get tired of being in Rick's arms. Rick deepened the kiss and Kate could feel her mind slowly going blank. As much as she wished they could stay there forever, she knew that for Alexis' sake she had to pull back soon before they got even more carried away.

"Rick...," she said somewhat breathlessly as she slowly pulled away and rested her forehead against his, her eyes still closed. "Alexis... we have to get going."

"I know," he whispered. "I'm sorry..."

She pulled back far enough so that she could look him in the eye. "Don't be," she replied softly as she smiled up at him. "There'll be other times."

He nodded, returning her smile. He leaned in quickly to give her one more kiss before taking her hand and leading her out of the park.

"So," he said as they started walking down the street back to his car. "I heard something about stopping for snacks. What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Well," Kate began. "I was thinking we could stop at Serendipity and get some of that chocolate cake that they have there. If I remember correctly, Alexis does like her chocolate."

Rick smiled. "She definitely does."

"Do you have popcorn at home?"

"Yes, I do."

"How about Gummi Bears?"

"How much do you plan on eating?" he teased. "But, yes, there should be some gummi bears somewhere."

"Good! And you can't watch movies without popcorn!"

"Yea, and where do the gummi bears come in?"

"They're just my favourite candy," she said smiling up at him. "And I kind of have a craving for them right now."

They had finally reached the car and, again, Rick opened for the door for Kate. They drove to Serendipity in a comfortable silence, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. They were lucky enough to find a parking spot fairly close to the restaurant.

From the outside, the restaurant looked absolutely packed. Kate could only hope that they still had desserts left. As they walked through the entrance of the restaurant and up to the counter they heard a high pitched female voice exclaim "Ricky!"

Kate immediately felt Rick tense beside her as they both slowly turned towards the voice.

"Hey, Ricky," said a pretty blonde girl. "Happy Valentine's Day! Are you doing anything special?" she said winking at him.

"Hi, Amanda," he said as he took a step back from her and laced his fingers with Kate's. "I'd like you to meet my... uh...," he stuttered.

"Hi," said Kate stepping forward, extending her hand. "I'm Kate, Rick's girlfriend. It's nice to meet you, Amanda, was it?"

Amanda nodded slightly, suddenly looking uncomfortable and shook Kate's hand.

"Well, I better get going. It was nice seeing you, Rick," Amanda said, turning back to Rick with another bright smile. Rick, however, was entirely focused on Kate.

"Girlfriend?" Rick asked. "I didn't think..."

"Problem, Rick?" Kate said smiling up at him.

"No!" he said giving her a wide smile. "Not at all!"

"Come on," Kate said squeezing Rick's hand. "Let's get that cake!"

Fifteen minutes later they were walking out of the restaurant with an entire chocolate cake with them.

"I hope Alexis is hungry!" Kate said laughing as they got into the car. "You know you could have gotten a few slices, you didn't have to buy the whole cake!"

He turned to look at Kate before pulling out of their parking space. "Well, I thought you were hungry," he said as seriously as he could.

She laughed and slapped him lightly on the arm.

They arrived at Rick's loft a short time later.

"Hey," he said quietly as he turned off the car. "Thanks again for doing this."

"It's nothing, really. We're going to have a great time! You'll see!" she said as she smirked.

Rick couldn't help but think that there was something Kate wasn't telling him.


End file.
